When was the last time you and your mate played together? Seriously... can you remember the last time you did something crazy fun together?

​

In far too many marriages, couples throw play out the window and replace it with serious adult responsibilities like careers, raising children, taking care of elderly parents, household chores and community commitments.

​

The University of Denver’s Center for Marital and Family Studies research finds that the amount of fun couples have together is the strongest factor in understanding overall marital happiness.

​

The more you invest in fun, friendship and being there for your partner, the happier the relationship will be over time. The correlation between fun and marital happiness is high and significant.

​

TAKE THE CHALLENGE!

For the next four weeks, intentionally set aside time every other day to do something fun together. It doesn’t have to be something that will take hours; it could be a 30-minute activity. Watching television together or sitting next to each other while online does not count as play.

​

In an informal survey, couples say they do these things:

• Play games like Scrabble, Dominoes, Rook, Wii, Uno, Quiddler, Frisbee or Catchphrase.

• Take a walk or run together.

• Play a practical joke on each other.

• Cook together, try new recipes and enjoy a great meal together.

• List activities for each letter of the alphabet that cost less than $10, then work your way through the list.

• Work a jigsaw puzzle.

• Do an activity together like horseback riding, bowling, fishing or canoeing.

 

Play isn’t a luxury, it's a necessity. So don’t just sit around reminiscing about how playful and adventurous you used to be or lamenting the fact that you never do anything fun anymore. Take the challenge and remember - playful people are a lot of fun to be around!

​